Report: Evans to Now Face Liddell at UFC 85

It’s looking like the Ultimate Fighting Championship has found a replacement opponent for Chuck Liddell

The former UFC light heavyweight champion will face the heavyweight winner of the second season of “The Ultimate Fighter in Rashad Evans according to reports from Sherdog and MMA Weekly, who have both reportedly confirmed the fight.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua was forced to pull out of his scheduled bout against Liddell after rupturing an ACL in his left knee during a recent training session. Rua will apparently also require surgery and will be out of action for an indefinite amount of time according to the UFC. The fight was due to be Rua’s first since he was submitted by Forrest Griffin in his UFC debut in September.

Evans was originally scheduled to be fighting Thiago Silva in May from all of the information that was gathered over the past few months. The one-time standout college wrestler has not lost yet inside the confines of his UFC. Evans has been victorious in all of his bouts with the exception of a draw against Tito Ortiz last summer.

Liddell snapped a two-fight losing streak at UFC 79 in December where he won a unanimous decision over long-time rival Wanderlei Silva. A win over Evans will have Liddell move one step closer to a rematch against current champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who has defeated Liddell twice in the past.